A Blog by Mark Brodsky, owner and developer of many fine and dandy web sites

Email Ettiquette

One thing that drives me nuts is when someone who emails me regularly has the ‘request read receipt’ turned on for all messages they send. That means I have to click a button to either send or not send a return receipt so they will know exactly when I read it, or if I don’t click ‘Yes’, assume I didn’t read it.

Now, while this aggravates me to no end, I know where they’re coming from. Oh yes.

It’s almost like people on the highway who drive right up close behind you as if their car were of the opposite polar orientation and simply coming near you would push you ahead, faster. So many people do that! And I am not a slow driver. (If you are one of those people, you should beware – I am seriously considering installing a James Bond-like oil slick gizmo on my car)

And so it’s the same with email recipients. So many people NEVER RESPOND to emails they are sent. Why is that? Who knows, but it sure is annoying! If someone sends an email asking a question, or in any way starts a new line of thought, it is your OBLIGATION to respond to them. It’s only polite. Like if someone asks ‘How are you?’, and you don’t answer – hey it’s the same thing! It’s rude to ignore people, no matter how they communicate! Just don’t do it!

Sure, if you get a message just saying ‘Thanks’ or ‘OK, see you then’ or something that confirms what you said in a previous email, no response is necessary. But when someone sends you a message with a question, or something of importance (such as an invoice for money due) you need to respond that you received it. Even if you can’t complete the transaction or fully answer the question – answer the stupid email! Don’t let it sit for days, weeks without a response.

Even if you do not wish to correspond with the person anymore, let them know!